Does It Work for Everyone? The Effect of ELCII on Kindergarteners' Inference Skill Development

We sought to identify the extent to which an innovative educational technology called ELCII (Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction) improved inference making for various populations of kindergarten students. Analyses examined student performance based on individual-level demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, home language, English Language Learner status, and Free or Reduced Lunch eligibility) to shed light on whether ELCII addresses the needs of learners from marginalized communities. Results showed that all students, on average, improved in their inference making performance over time and that growth in inference making performance did not differ across subgroups. However, the results also highlighted persistent gaps that were present at the onset of the program, and unfortunately continued to persist. To bridge such gaps, the standard of 'working for all' is a necessary first step, but not sufficient. Future research should identify ways to accelerate growth of core skill development among students who need additional support.